Fool's Rationale
by Scythe-chan
Summary: Kuroko Tetsuko did not expect the one she had bid in a human trafficking auction to rescue to be the despicable, narcissistic, dominant and psychotic criminal, Akashi Seijuuro. As he attempts to court her by whispering sweet nothings and gifts, she struggles to sort out her feelings. The clock hands begin to move, and the poetess's heart begins to crumble into ruins. AkaFemKuro
1. Rationale 1

**Author's Note:**

**I decided to post up my new AkaKuro fic after having written it yesterday. Also, I'll be going into a short hiatus to improve on writing romance. I'll be writing at least two chapters each for I Wouldn't Show You My Eyes, A Noxious Compulsion and Fool's Rationale. **

**This will also be Akashi x Fem!Kuro ( I can't bring myself to write BL currently ). Also, some characters might be kind of OOC in this fic.**

**Summary: Kuroko Tetsuko did not expect the one she had bid in a human trafficking auction to rescue to be the despicable, narcissistic, dominant and psychotic criminal, Akashi Seijuuro. As he attempts to court her by whispering sweet nothings and giving her gifts, she struggles to sort out her feelings. The clock hands begin to move, and the poetress's heart begins to crumble into ruins. AkaKuro.**

**Akashi - 22**

**Tetsuko - 22**

**Please review or leave a follow!**

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke does not belong to me.**

* * *

Akashi Seijuuro felt rather bored at the situation he was currently facing.

Well, truth be told, he was a blasé man. So saying that he was bored at what he was doing was a heavy understatement.

6 years of imprisonment? Nope, Akashi would not have that. He daydreamed while heading to the main gates, spinning a key using his index finger while shoving his other hand into his pants' pocket. He never believed in fortune and luck before, but he would admit he had thanked the stars for the guard of the main gates was taking a nap, or else he would have gone so far just to get locked in that plain, ugly-looking cell again. Akashi Seijuuro is not one to be inclined to the ergonomics, rather, the man would prefer luxury, wealth and power. Yes, definitely what he needs most is authority and control. Imagine his antipathy of plain and cheap-looking things kicking in when he was sent to the penitentiary, dirty and dilapidated.

Akashi let a smirk grace his striking features as he stepped out stealthily out of the hellhole and turned his head for a last look. No, Akashi isn't a sentimental man. He'd laugh and proceed to beat up anyone who described and compared him to a mother with a tear-streaked face, having just attended her son's funeral. He recalled his cellmate, Aomine Daiki, who had been set up by a certain, hypocritical model and was currently constructing a plan to avenge himself after he finished serving his sentence. The fans of that despicable model were all partisan, the tanned man had swore repeatedly. When he discovered that Akashi had a way to escape, he threw away his pride to plead with him to take him along, even having gone down on his knees.

Sorry, but Akashi isn't going to be sympathetic an d warm to even a person who had troubles from the entertainment industry to befall him. He could only scoff and tell him he deserved it for getting himself involved with the model. Akashi stared at the large and bulky key he had on the palm of his hand and shrugged, shoving it into his pocket. Perhaps, he could use it for emergencies. Even with his brilliant foresight, he had to make preparations beforehand. After all, the man destested being caught off guard or his plans disrupted. He was absolute and would crush everyone who got in his way into pieces.

_The world isn't flowers and rainbows, Daiki. _

Those words he had told the wrongly accused flashed in his mind. Akashi closed his eyes.

He opened them again. Firstly, he had to go to a place where crime rates were high. That was definitely the red light district, he had though. Observing intently for an expensive-looking car, he chuckles as the image of his beloved runs through his mind.

Laughing maniacally, he put on the wig that he had stolen from one of the vain policemen he had knocked out and pounced onto his unfortunate prey. As he threw the dead man off the car and dropped him to the forest nearby the highway, he hopped in, grabbed the wallet and fished out all the money he could find and stuffed them inside his already full pocket, revved the engine and with the built-in global positioning system, he drove recklessly to his desired destination.

_I'll be coming to see you, my love. _


	2. Rationale 2

**Author's Note: **

**Hey, guys! I'm back from the hiatus ( wow, but it really doesn't seem like a hiatus, does it? It's way too short ) with two chapters each for Fool's Rationale and Noxious Compulsion! I had to delete I Wouldn't Show You My Eyes as I do not have much planned for it. I really let people down with how I wrote Noxious Compulsion, so I had to use this hiatus to buck up. **

**Kise is rather mildly yangire here, by the way. I hope you guys won't mind? It's actually the last day of the holidays for me here, so I won't be able to type and upload the chapters I written as quick as the last few days, my bad. **

**High T for sexual language. Just a warning, but there's HanaFemKuro here. **

**Really, thanks a bunch for the follows and reviews, even the favs as well! Cookies and some bread crumbs for everyone! I'm sorry, bread crumbs doesn't seem appealing, do they? **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke.**

* * *

_**beyond redemption, indeed.**_

* * *

_**13rd February**_

_" A leash and a smile._

_I already believed in you._

_It will go one day. "_

Kise Ryouta smiled and unleashed his daily compliment for his teacher, Kuroko Tetsuko. " Uwaah, that is a really fantastic _haiku_, Kuroko-cchi! I'm so, so fortunate to have such a talent poetess as my teacher. "

" I didn't take you in as my apprentice to shower me with praises, Kise-kun. Now I want you to decipher this _haiku_, I'll give you 15 minutes for this assignment, " Tetsuko frowned and released a sigh at the sorry excuse of a model. She had absolutely no idea why a popular model would want to learn how to compose poems. The Japanese variation of poems, which was called the _haiku_, lately had a rapidly dwindling influence to the culture because of advancements mankind had achieved, so to see a public figure of the shallow and modern entertainment/modelling industry begging her to be his mentor caused her to be extremely surprised.

But, did Tetsuko know about Kise's ulterior motives? Of course not. Kise cheerfully complied to her request and lowered his head to reread the haiku on his desk. Kise only intended to strengthen his relationship with the poetess, ask her out and after two or three years, he'll finally propose to her. Yes, yes, he had all of this planned out. Poems are irrelevant and unnecessary to him, but if that is a key factor to what it takes to win that oblivious and dense mentor of his over, he will not object. He will make poems his friend, and then eventually use it to his advantage.

_Hmm, getting influenced by her so quickly, Ryouta. That was so implicit, taking the term " poems " as if it was a person_, Kise thought to himself, helpless at the woman's influence. Eyeing the haiku, he began to write with his branded pen, a few strokes and scrawls here and there, and he was done. He leaned back from his table, impressed with himself. Surely, this answer will be correct. His eyes stared at the handwriting that was used to write the _haiku_ down and chuckled silently to himself. No doubt it belonged to Tetsuko, from Kise's point of view, everything about her was beautiful and elegant.

Especially during her flower arrangement and tea lessons with her other students, they were all female and were strongly encouraged to wear a kimono everytime they came to her house to attend every Wednesdays and Fridays. Once, Kise walked by the room she had used to teach the girls after having realised he arrived too early for his poetry session. Tetsuko had left the doors that connected her house to her garden open for air ventilation and wind.

Kise had barged in mischievously in a better angle and forgot what he had done could mean that her class would not end well. With the girls coming over to his side to fawn or get an autograph from him, it was no surprise that Tetsuko had dismissed the ones who had only signed up to catch a glimpse of the blond Adonis, leaving her with only 4 students who were willing to pay attention ( some of whom did not know about Ryouta Kise, the model, even! ).

Dang, Kise was mesmerised as his mentor carried out her lesson with the other 4. Tetsuko had kept her fringe swept to the left and tied her lovely, blue tresses into a neat bun. _The way you are trying to look mature just makes you look more cuter, Kuroko-cchi_, he smiled meaningfully, causing the soubrettish girls who had strayed away from the lesson to raise questions. The light rays hit the _tatami _mats. Tetsuko looked like a saint with the light reflecting her face, making her look more like a porcelain doll. It was extremely elegant, how she held the teapot, how she instructed her dedicated students and how she pulled her sleeve with her other hand to prevent it from getting stuck or stained when doing something. His class was cancelled that day and for a good two weeks as punishment for making Tetsuko furious, but that's alright.

Kise might have already become obsessed. Tetsuko was like his heart, without it, he would not be able to survive. Not seeing her everyday could probably mean depression to him.

He was thankful this " depression " had an avaliable " cure ". How grateful he was with built-in cameras in mobiles. If he had a modelling job overseas that he cannot turn down no matter how much he pleaded, not to worry, he'll switch on his phone, click " Gallery " and looked at every photo he had secretly took with his camera for as long as he like. Of course, he did do one bad thing or two this year, and he even decided to commit another crime: to set up his best friend, so that he won't have to go to jail. A world without Tetsuko was ridiculous and impossible.

Preposterous.

Kise was aware that he was beyond redemption. But what? He was indignant. Wasn't the world beyond redemption, too? Please, don't just blame him. It wasn't his fault. What's a human without an obsession?

Returning to the poetry lesson he was having, he grinned and handed the paper to a reading Tetsuko, declaring, " Kuroko-cchi, I am confident that I got the right answer, heads-on! If I did, I can stay over, right? Right? " Tetsuko sandwiched her handmade bookmark in her book and closed it, taking the paper from the model. She read, her eyes darting around.

" Kise-kun, your mind is really contaminated. It really needs a clean-up. By this _haiku_, I did not mean to depict a girl who was willing to be someone's slave.., " Tetsuko criticised the blond, an exasperated look marring her face.

" I agree with Kuroko, 70 percent of your answers are all perverse. Did you take this class to brush up on your innuendos or something? " A man sitting beside him spoke. Kise scowled at the fellow apprentice, not exactly like how Tetsuko accepted him in. Tetsuko picked up the paper the lettucehead of an apprentice had written his answer on. Tetsuko raised her eyebrows and a small smile appeared.

Kise did not like how other men were able to make her expression change, but he would thank that annoying Midorima Shintaro for once, this time. It was probably one of the rarest times Kise would witness her with the corners of her mouth twisting upwards. He was definitely entranced each time he got the opportunity to see his beloved seem so happy.

" A girl who has a manipulative male friend, whom although she knew that she was being lured in, she continued to trust him, even though she ended up disappointed, as she subconsciously expected, " Tetsuko read out and nodded appreciatively at Midorima. Midorima adjusted his glasses, which both Kise and Tetsuko knew that secretly was a sign of satisfaction and accomplishment. Though Midorima and his horoscope addiction may be difficult to handle, his body language was extremely easy to figure out.

Midorima Shintaro was renowned, not in the same sense as Kise, of course. He had excelled and was predominate in medical school and achieved his dream to be a doctor. Midorima was doing a job which Tetsuko had considered to be a respectable and beneficial occupation to mankind. Tetsuko remembered the period of time where she was extremely ill then, Midorima was the one who had come to her aid when she suddenly fainted during a walk to the supermarket for some groceries.

Despite learning that Midorima had already married a fellow nurse, Kise was still very suspicious of him. His melodramatic mind told him that the doctor could always divorce and get closer to his beloved Tetsuko in a blink of an eye. However, there would only be a 20 percent chance of that happening, though.

Sure, Tetsuko's lovely and delicate look matched with her gentle yet eccentric personality added up to a percentage of 20, but the 80 percent was that despite Tetsuko was more lovely than his wife Takao Kazumi, who was the opposite of Midorima ( cheerful and a ball of energy made Midorima out of character ), he loved her nonetheless, so faithful that Tetsuko was rather envious whenever Kazumi came over with her husband.

If he had to choose between his lucky items or his partner's safety, it would be the latter. Midorima would complain and grumble, but at the end of the day, he will know that he made the right choice. A human being can never come back once dead, Midorima was aware and understood the brutality of this fact that he had already embraced from a year of his journey as a doctor.

" Midorima-kun, may I take a look at your poem? " Tetsuko asked, another knowing smile gracing her features. Midorima stiffened, he reached for his suitcase and fished out a notebook that looked like it could have been in a better condition with the right owner. Midorima flipped it to the page the poem of his was written on and handed it to his teacher. Before she read his composition, she turned to her other student, " Kise-kun, you can leave now. "

" But- " Kise protested, upset.

" It's an order, " Tetsuko shot a look at him that most people would not be able to catch. Kise gulped. As far as he knew, his mind did not have the knowledge that Kuroko Tetsuko, also know as his ideal wife, can easily bring people to submission with just a mere sentence. Quickly, he packed all his writing materials into his bag and stood up, he looked at Tetsuko with a pout and bade the two goodbye in a disappointed tone. " Bye, bye, Kuroko-cchi, Midorima-cchi. "

The both of them nodded in acknowledgement and returned to their discussion. Kise opened, stepped out, and slid the door close. He sighed. With a bored expression, he headed out of the house. Kise knew the house's architecture as if it was on the palm of his hand, so it was no problem. He fumbled for his phone and switched it on to check the time. His shoulders relaxed, there was still some time to get a drink and head to his modelling location.

_To a photoshoot first, and then to the police station to have a reunion and a little chat with Aomine-cchi, I suppose. After that, an important event I'll have to be one of the hosts for at midnight, so that means I can have a nap after I've finished my business with Aomine-cchi.._

* * *

" Mhm, this seems romantic enough. You did a good job on your own, though. Midorima-kun, I'm sure Kazumi-chan will be happy to receive this, although you'll have to wait for at least 7 months till her birthday? " Tetsuko was very satisfied at the completed piece and had given him a can of red bean soup. " That long would not be necessary. I plan to give it to her during White Day, " Midorima corrected and adjusted his glasses with his bandaged fingers. Tetsuko found it strange the few times she met up with him, but dismissed it as another one of his obsessions.

They were currently walking to her house's entrance, " it was nice teaching you, Midorima-kun, " she uttered. You see, Midorima had sought her out ever since last year to assist him in poetry. Apparently, he wanted to write a heartwarming and amorous poem for his lober, he had confessed to Tetsuko his motive during the end of January. Tetsuko had readily agreed to help him out in composing the perfect poem, and now that it was done, Tetsuko was rather glum to see him leave.

" I-I could always attend your flower arrangement classes, it's not like I find you a good teacher or that I wanted to give Kazumi another gift, " Midorima stammered and adjusted his glasses again, this time to try to get rid of the scarlet tint on his face. Tetsuko was amused at his dishonesty, " you're always welcomed to join us. Oh, you can also find this certain woman by the name of Alexandra Garcia, who offers lessons on the Western business, such as wine-tasting and ballroom dancing. She's not very popular, but is one of the most dedicated teachers I know, " Tetsuko recommended. Midorima nodded at her suggestion and opened the door to see a black-haired woman waiting at the main gates.

The woman turned out to be Midorima Kazumi, she turned her head to the creaking of the door ( she was always sharp and alert despite having her guard down all the time, Tetsuko was puzzled ), her eyes brightened and immediately clung onto the tall lettucehead. With a playful glint in her eye, she looked at Tetsuko with a worried expression on her face, "_ Kuroko-sensei_, may I know what has my son, Shintaro, done in his poetry class? "

" Oh, he committed unacceptable things that were disastrous, _Midorima-san_. During the children's nap, he secretly woke up and drew on others' faces with a permanent marker! " Tetsuko loved how outgoing and whimsical Kazumi and her antics were, she was rather taken aback that this time, Kazumi would tease her husband with a new act by treating Midorima as a naughty child of hers. She had secretly smirked when Kazumi had referred to her in a way that made her seem like a kindergarten teacher.

" My, I will do my best in disciplining him, Kuroko-sensei. Come now, Shintaro, apologise to your teacher! " Kazumi tip-toed and tried to reach Midorima's head, but her hand could only reach the nape of his neck. Not very pleased with his height, she elbowed Midorima's abdomen, which caused Midorima to yelp in pain and buckle under, his head successfully nodding down. A delighted Kazumi and a distressed Midorima said their goodbyes to Tetsuko and walked to the distance, hand in hand. Tetsuko observed the two; Midorima, not very pleased, bent down to plant a chaste kiss on his companion's lips, and Kazumi turned her head away from the doctor in embarassment and surprise as a response.

All of it was done with their fingers entwined. Tetsuko felt rather envious of the couple. She sighed and shook her head, making her way back to her quarters. Tetsuko slid open the door to her study room and checked the clock. _4.18pm_, it read. It was a Friday, which means that she did not have any more classes to teach. Flicking open her phone and turning it on, she saw that she received a grand total of 12 messages, which came from an unknown number and Hanamiya Makoto. She hadn't switched on her phone since yesterday as her phone was rather faulty, it could shut down whenever it wanted and ate up her battery.

_**9pm, 12th February**_

_**From: Hanamiya Makoto**_

_**I'm going to an auction at 12am tomorrow.**_

_**2.12am, 13rd February**_

_**From: Hanamiya Makoto**_

_**Don't tell me your phone shut down again, moron. As punishment, you'll be following me there tomorrow. **_

Tetsuko sighed softly. It wasn't her fault that her phone was in a wreck. She did not have much time on her own to go to an electronics store to purchase one. Hanamiya Makoto was a close friend from highschool who pestered her ever since year 2. He was smart yet dangerous, and Tetsuko usually fell right into his traps. The guy was one of Tetsuko's closest friends, but sometimes, she felt the need to add in a " with benefits " in it. When Hanamiya was in a bad mood, he would end up picking the lock of Tetsuko's door, let himself in and torment her. Tetsuko wasn't very keen about it and knew that she could have been named a slut if she allowed any man who wasn't even her lover to have his way with her, but she had to cooperate, or Hanamiya would be much more aggressive. She realised that Hanamiya was aware of what he was doing and would stop after he left a hickey on her neck.

_**4.53am, 13rd February**_

_**From: Hanamiya Makoto**_

_**Heard the area would be a desolate place situated at the other side of Tokyo. **_

_**9.30am, 13rd February**_

_**From: Unknown**_

_**We'll be meeting each other soon, love. Pick me.**_

Well, Tetsuko got chills down her spine for this text. It sounded so demanding and at a much more angstier sense, desperate. She dismissed this as one of the messages from rabid fans, though. Tetsuko mentally noted to herself that she definitely needed a new phone and more importantly, a new number, too. She'll have to write down her contacts on a piece of paper so that she would not have to go to the trouble by asking others for their numbers when she finally replaced her phone along with her new number.

The other messages she got were from Kise and Midorima, informing her that they would be arriving to her house soon. Kise had sent her texts 5 times compared to a single message from Midorima.

_**1pm, 13rd February**_

_**From: Hanamiya Makoto**_

_**I'll bring over some clothes for you to wear. You always don brightly-coloured clothes, and it's no good to wear those unless you want to be auctioned off, dork. **_

_**3pm, 13rd February**_

_**From: Hanamiya Makoto**_

_**I'll come over at 9pm after I finish dealing with two certain police officers. **_

Tetsuko shut her phone close and looked for her wallet in her drawers. Taking it out, she gave herself a look at her mirror and smoothed the strands of hair sticking out. Feeling much more appropriate, she headed out to the nearby supermarket to buy some tea leaves and snacks for her guest.

* * *

Akashi Seijuuro took in the boisterous and negatively lively atmosphere of the red light district. He had abandoned the car and set it on fire for kicks ( it exploded soon after ), he could always find a better one, the car reeked of the dead man's sweat. While crafting his wonderfully thought out strategy, he had acquired some knowledge from Aomine, who was wrongly accused for being the main organiser of the human trafficking auctions that have been appearing all over town. He had secretly told Akashi that their base of operations would probably be in the famous red light district of Tokyo next, and that if he wanted to be involved with the business, he had to find the exact model that he had gotten used by and talk to him, but it would be hard when he would be disguised.

The special thing about the auctions the model held was that he even accepted people who were willing to be sold off. The victims who were kidnapped were punished and fed with food that mice would eat, while the ones who volunteered were treated like kings and queens. The model had reasoned that the volunteers were a big catch, since they decrease the chances of trouble he had to go around Tokyo to find suitable humans to be auctioned off.

Akashi silently examined each and every one of the people that walked pass him, Aomine had stated that the model, Kise Ryouta, would always wear a black wig and a hat. However, he did not bother to conceal his eyes with coloured contacts, leaving them as it is. His amber eyes were alluring, Kise knew, and would not have his eyes covered just to disguise himself from public view. Akashi frowned at how long he had to spend to finally reach his love, and as if his change of expression was a signal, Kise appeared. Putting his black wig on again, he sauntered towards Kise and immediately declared to him when Kise finally acknowledged his presence.

" Yes? " Kise asked, rather nervous if it was one of the rare fanboys he meets once every two months. _They were scary_, he had thought.

" I would like to volunteer, am I suitable enough? " Akashi did not require an answer. He was good-looking, everyone had praised. The black wig he had on gave him a much more mysterious look, his heterochromatic red-yellow eyes glowed, and the darkness of the alley caused him to look more enigmatic. Kise swallowed and thanked his lucky stars for actually having such a robust volunteer to come to him at this very day where an important auction would begin later at midnight. " Follow me, " he gruffly answered and turned to the opposite direction where his headquarters was situated at.

Akashi discreetly smirked thoughtfully.

_Just this once, Daiki, thank you for being such a blabbermouth._

* * *

The doorbell rang. Tetsuko knew it was Hanamiya, despite his ugly personality, he was quite punctual. She briskly walked out of the living room and opened the door for the man. Hanamiya was holding a large, white box and had a bleeding cut on his arm. Tetsuko immediately knew she had to keep her guard up, that expression of his could cause her to end up dirty. Hanamiya entered the living room while she went to fetch a first aid kit and the snacks she had bought, most of them being chocolate. She slid open the door to the living room to find a Hanamiya Makoto switching channels using the remote control.

Without a word, she could see him wincing and stiffening while she cleaned and dabbed ointment on the wound. While she was dressing his injury, Hanamiya stared at her while pushing the box towards her, muttering, " the clothes. " Tetsuko nodded, standing up with the box on her hands, she left to the bathroom to change. Lifting the lid, she found an expensive, purple and plain furisode. Sure, Hanamiya may be richer than her, but he need not have to buy something of that much worth for her. He could toss her some dirty-looking clothes and she won't even blink.

After she finished, she went to the kitchen to prepare tea and returned to the room where her devious guest was in. Upon her arrival and setting the cups on the table, Hanamiya pounced on her with rushed and rough kisses that could swollen her lips in an instant. Tetsuko's expression did not change as he continued doing whatever he liked. She was fairly used to his whims, to be honest.

" You look good in the clothing I picked for you.., " Hanamiya breathed on her neck. It was ticklish. Hanamiya began nipping on the nape of her neck and gradually moved down to her collarbone, he laughed huskily, " tch, there's no way I'll say something like that. I'm so angry I could break you into half, maybe. "

" You won't, " no matter how many times Hanamiya deceived Tetsuko, she knew he wouldn't go so far.

" Hmph, " Hanamiya retorted and returned to the place where he had bitten on and sucked.

" Don't ruin the furisode, Hanamiya-kun. "


	3. Rationale 3

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys, I'm back with chapter 3, thanks for all the reviews and follows! And hooray, Tetsuko finally meets Akashi! To be honest, that Hanamiya thing with Tetsuko was whimsically put in I have absolutely no idea if it's okay or not- Sorry for bad grammar or spelling!**

**Warning, but there might be some characters that are genderbent, like in the case of Takao. Also, this fanfiction roams around a M due to obscene language and some action much later, so beware. Anyway, here are the ages of the characters that have already appeared:**

**Tetsuko, Akashi, Midorima, Kazumi: 22**

**Kise, Aomine, Hanamiya: 23**

**Please leave a review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke.**

* * *

Hanamiya opened the car door so that Tetsuko would be able to enter the backseat. Tetsuko tilted her head down to prevent having a collison with the headliner of the vehicle. She placed the notebook, pencil and eraser she had brought along with her on the seat beside hers, which was going to be used to pass her time during the long ride and soon settled herself comfortably, buckling her seatbelt.

She silently watched him toss his wallet, book and already melted chocolate on the passenger's seat beside him and revved the engine. The car stopped as the light turned red. Hanamiya cursed under his breath, somehow predicting a mini traffic jam itching to happen, considering how the route he was taking coincidentially had an event hordes would attend. Hanamiya reluctantly buckled his seatbelt after much chiding from the poetess behind him.

Hanamiya tapped his fingers on the steering wheel absentmindedly. Tetsuko looked up from a poem she was working on for a collection, feeling extremely curious and puzzled. It was rare to see Hanamiya with his guard let down. The events that had happened in her house flashed in her mind, and while staring at him fixatedly, she blurted, " Hanamiya-kun, I really think you should stop pestering me. "

" Huh? " Hanamiya snapped out of his daydream after having noticed the traffic light had already turned green. The vehicle moved abruptly, causing Tetsuko to lean forward, her hands clutching on her seatbelt for dear life. After Hanamiya found his control, he drove in the pace he had ever since he started the engine, a pace that was unlike him: safe and careful. Hanamiya was a good driver, it was just saddening he did not put safety as one of his main concerns when handling any automobile. Usually, he would drive like he was performing some stunt, even with another life in his prized vehicle.

But today, he'll drive safely for the woman in the backseat, cracking her notebook open and thinking of good vocabulary to put into good use.

There was a person being auctioned he heard was a great catch, and Hanamiya himself, of course, wanted someone perceptive to confirm his doubts. Hanamiya turned right; just 15 minutes more and they'll reach their destination. His eyes lazily and curiously gazed at a car accident that happened at the side of the road. Hanamiya could see Tetsuko observing it, her face so close to the side window her face could have been glued to it.

Hanamiya chuckled in a volume the inquisitive Tetsuko would not be able to hear and then pondered on her question. Sure, he was distracted just now, but that did not really mean he did not hear her talking. Hanamiya hastily recollected fragments of the memories he had with his companion in the backseat and pieced them one by one, trying to remember how he had met and interacted with Tetsuko.

Hanamiya always felt that memories were useless and could only provide disgusting and corny emotions. That was why he had to spend some time to remember such things. He was a man who would not allow the future to shape him from his past or background, he would prefer to control than to be controlled, thank you very much.

Fuzzy as it was, he could remember being in the basketball club ever since his 1st year. The basketball was average ( Hanamiya would remark that they were just a really heavy burden to carry. Like Tetsuko, he would not sugarcoat facts ), always getting disqualified in the preliminary rounds, and if they actually focused, they could get further, but disappointed the coach and let down his expectations. It was only when Hanamiya became captain AND coach ( the coach left ) during his 3rd year was when the team evolved to something nastier, yet stronger, all through the procedure of a typical massacre.

Firstly, he began kicking out those he considered weak and unreliable. Those people were categorised into two types: people who only wanted to copy his homework, or that they were only acting as bees, buzzing in his ears about how basketball should be played and how it should not be played.

Such people were trash. Next, he went on to teach the basketball team despicable tricks and dismissed everyone who were against the notion of cheating in a game. Hanamiya did not really expect so many after having kicked out several, to be honest. He did eventually acknowledge someone in the team, though. The friend of his had hair that did not seem to be tamed often and bubble gum seemed to be a permanent resident of his mouth. Hanamiya forgot his name, but remembered seeing his face on a newspaper article, the bold headline screaming, " KAZUYA GOES WONKA ". It then moved on to talking about an assortment of gum the man had created, but he was currently in jail for causing a worker to be a victim of a serious illness due to a gum tasting test.

Hanamiya smirked after he finished reading the article, knowing that the guy was as strong and underhanded as him. Kazuya would probably claim that he did no wrong and break out of jail.

He remembered a weird atmosphere he always sensed whenever he went to sit on a usual place on the bleachers to have a drink or two after vigorous drills and exercises. Hanamiya always felt someone looking, or rather, near him. It was only after a month when he finally bothered to look closer and noticed he was always sitting beside a girl his junior, which happened to be Tetsuko.

" Hello, " she would say, nodding her head slightly in acknowledgement. She closed the book she was writing on, and raised her hand towards him, introducing herself, " my name is Kuroko Tetsuko, a 2nd year, pleased to meet you. "

Hanamiya eyed her hand. No, he did not have a fetish for hands, but she looked too pure and easy to break. Should Hanamiya pull her to the lockers room or introduce himself properly? Before he came to a decision, his hand had already reached to shake hers firmly, " Hanamiya Makoto. I'm the coach and captain of this wretched basketball team. "

Tetsuko raised an eyebrow at his rude description, opened her book again and focused on whatever she was writing.

After that mere introduction, Hanamiya's short 3-minute breaks stretched to 10-minute ones, all for the sake of coming to have a chat with the girl. He learnt that she loved vanilla milkshakes, watching basketball games, writing poetry and also hard work. She learnt that he loved chocolate, crushing opponents with dirty plays, reading novels and easy, quick methods to get whatever he wants.

Hanamiya was rather surprised that the two managed to stay in touch, to be honest. They weren't what you would call close friends, an inseparable duo, fated lovers or anything more intimate. They were more of, Hanamiya struggled to search a perfect adjective for the relationship of his and hers, yes, friends by a contract. Hanamiya could help Tetsuko broaden her horizons ( she could be what you call an opsimath if she just stayed home composing poetry ), while Tetsuko could serve as Hanamiya's companion? Servant? Partner?

Truth be told, Hanamiya would have thought of Tetsuko as a friend, but Tetsuko would have raised an eyebrow and question his source of a dictionary, telling him that she plans to have that dictionary sued. Surely, Hanamiya's " friend " definition was equivalent to a " slave ". Tetsuko sighed, realising that they were already at their destination and closed her notebook, deciding to leave it behind and opened the car door herself, exited the vehicle and took in a breath of fresh air.

The environment wasn't pretty and peaceful in contrast to her home. She frowned at the puddle of vomit which a flock of crows were busy picking on with their beaks, pinching her nose between her thumb and index finger after registering the stench of human waste lingering in the air. Rich women who were past their prime enrobed themselves with heavy jewelry, skimpy dresses and clutched on to their handbags with brand names stamped all over, along with them, there always seemed to be lanky yet handsome young adults with their hair slicked back, some even having a leash on what would have been a common sight whenever your eyes laid on a domestic dog. Gigolos, definitely gigolos. Tetsuko could hear her companion laughing and making fun of those men.

She wasn't very pleased. Sure, she felt against the idea of woman hiring younger men to be their escorts, but even they deserve some human equality or respect. Tetsuko saw drunk men with their neckties tied around their heads, their legs behaving like a reckless child being indecisive on whether they should pick this candy or that biscuit. Sex stores, poorly-maintained food courts, clothing shops no one seemed to step into, hotels and all the suspicious and illegal markets filled the red light district, giving it a dangerous yet alluring aura for the curious, innocent ones with their noses in plain, boring textbooks.

With a much needed sigh, she took the hand that Hanamiya has been offering ever since she tried to absorb the surroundings laid around her. Her life and possibly, virginity, might be taken away if he left her alone. Hanamiya grunted and both of them made their way to the auction.

* * *

" Hanamiya Makoto. "

" Ah, yes, yes. It has been a while, Hanamiya-sama. I suppose that is your companion. Here are two masks for you and your partner to conceal yourselves, " a man with high cheekbones and a mole on his forehead laughed nervously, scratching his head while handing two flimsy-looking masks to Hanamiya. The receiver nodded curtly and gripped onto Tetsuko's hand, dragging her to the narrow, dim-lited corridors. Tetsuko bowed down in an awkward manner to greet the man and broke free from Hanamiya's hand, knowing that she was already safe.

He handed her one of the masks and gestured her to put it on. It was a cheap masquerade mask, and even with it, she felt that people would recognise her blue tresses. She ran her fingers through them subconsciously. Tetsuko tied a knot using the string of the mask to keep it in place, adjusted her hair in a more comfortable position and helped Hanamiya out with tying a knot, his large fingers clumsily touching the bad and small material before they stepped in the room of where cruel ones bid and unlucky ones whimper.

Dim and wavering lights coming from small candles illuminated the room, Tetsuko noticed as the duo sat themselves comfortably on the luxurious sofas that definitely did not come cheap. She saw large pieces of dark, worn-out fabric draping over what it seemed to be bulky objects.

" Cages, " Hanamiya answered her unsaid question, crossing his arms and looked for the host, his eyes seemingly excited despite having a masquerade mask blocking Tetsuko from witnessing a better view. Tetsuko looked around curiously, recognising a few faces she did not exactly expect to actually take part in such activities. _The pot calling the kettle black_, Tetsuko thought, ashamed. The rest of the guests seemed to be of high calibre, many donning gold watches, handbags and formal attire. Few wore kimonos, and Tetsuko was one of them.

" Welcome, welcome! "

_Oh, the voice was familiar. _Tetsuko was taken aback. This was a voice she heard and ignored. She gulped and watched the figure entering the stage, stopping in front of the 1st cage. She knew this person too well.

" How was your day, people? Well, I went to attend a poetry session and then went on a modelling appointment, went back home to get a nap after a visit to my friend and in a blink of an eye, I'm here! " The man raised his arms dramatically. The women in the room nodded approvingly while the men groaned at his wastage of time. " Okay, okay, let us move on, shall we? Autographs will come later, and thus, let us welcome the introduction of our first catch. He can make a really good wife, so the bid starts at, hmm, maybe 3 million? " Kise pulled the cloth away from the 1st cage, revealing a man with a slender build, light brown hair in a kneeling position, his upper body bent forward to touch the ground as if he was trying to say sorry.

Kise pouted after a good three minutes of prompting, " aww, there's no one interested in him? That's too bad, but we'll have to send him to the brothels or most likely, the garbage bin, then. " He sauntered to the 2nd cage and talked again, ignoring the shuffling noises some of his men was causing trying to pull the cage to the backstage. The 2nd human did not seem all that appealing to Hanamiya, as it seemed that he was involved because he wanted in. Despite volunteers being a large asset to the auctions held by Kise and company, most of them were hardcore masochists, and it so happened that the buyers were usually people who liked their slaves crying for help, not begging for more.

An apparent newcomer to this whole business bought the masochist at 11 million, that moron. The 3rd, who was a woman, was sold off at only a million, who looked extremely plain and had hopeful eyes, begging someone to buy her. Tetsuko felt rather disturbed at the 2nd and 3rd, to be honest.

" 23 million, " a velvety and professional female voice rang in her ears when the 4th man was revealed. The man had glasses on and a haircut that Tetsuko sees too much whenever she takes her daily stroll every morning. She craned her head towards the back to see a woman wearing a lovely, purple dress and short, brown hair standing up, raising her hand to signal the wretched model. Kise blinked in surprise, his mouth left ajar due to preparing to start the description and bid of the fourth. Everyone stayed quiet at the female's huge and pricey offer, which Kise took cheerfully and energetically.

" I see that no one has any objections. Alright then, miss! 23 million, it is. Also, please stay back to collect Hyuuga Junpei after the auction is over, " Kise informed her, his grin stretching from ear to ear. The woman nodded primly and sat down, pushing her stray locks over her right ear.

" Well, now we have our finale. This one has been widely sought after due to some lingering rumours, and here we have..., " Kise spoke grimly, as if to give the people who would lose in getting the 5th some sympathy beforehand. His hand clutched onto the piece of cloth and yanked it away.

"...Akashi Seijuuro. 10 million. "

" 11 million! " A man roared from the front, standing up in a fit of rage and greed.

" 12 million! "

" 14 million! " Another one shouted. Tetsuko shivered when she laid her eyes on the man that was the object of everyone's interest. The man had red, crimson hair with a pair of heterochromatic eyes. He had shackles on his wrists and ankles and gave off an air of solitude and helplessness, far more stronger than the previous four she had seen. Tetsuko could have sworn she saw the man looking directly at her, asking for help and assistance. " You're going to bid? " Hanamiya asked from beside her, looking at her questioningly. Tetsuko calculated the amount of money she had in her bank account, which came to a total of at least 50 million due to her inheritance of her rich family, some dabbling in the stocks market and the amount of poetry and novels she had already sold. Tetsuko found this a big achievement to someone so invisible. She nodded firmly, believing that this man wanted to escape and live a normal life.

She trusted her judgment to be not wrong.

" 30 million, " she called, the room came to an abrupt silence. Kise stood frozen, shocked at the voice he loved every single minute.

And thus the cash she had made due to selling her poems and novels were all spent on one man.

* * *

Never was she more wrong in her intuition when she finally came home, with a red-haired man as a permanent resident from now on.

Tetsuko switched on the lights and took off her shoes, deciding to change out of the kimono Hanamiya had borrowed her for the auction and put it in the laundry later. She placed them in her shoe rack and turned around to tell the man she bought to follow her to the living room to have a chat and tea.

" Um, Akashi-san, you can go to the livin- " Tetsuko paused abruptly as she was pushed against the wall by the redhead, her hands were pinned above her head, and she struggled to break free of his grip when soft, yet dry lips touched hers. Akashi forced his tongue through her lips, demanding for more obedience and affection. It was extremely passionate, but uncomfortable for she was kissing a total stranger. Akashi broke the kiss, a string of saliva from his mouth to hers connected each other and then snapped apart.

Tetsuko tried to catch her breath, and while she did so, Akashi smirked widely, causing Tetsuko to want to buckle under due to his overpowering authority and control. He leaned close to her ear and whispered,

" I wonder where my bed will be, Tetsuko. "


	4. Rationale 4

**Author's Note:**

**How was chapter 3? Also, thanks for being ever-so-supportive, especially to imKimTheWriter, Lily Fenton Phantom and EclipseKuran, but really, you guys also deserve the credit, I wake up everyday happily because of all of you! qwq**

**Also, to answer booklover1209: When there's Hanamiya as your close friend, it means that he'll pull you wherever you go. I think I'll reveal the answer sooner or later in the following chapters, though it really isn't an important factor of the story. uwu"**

**I really feel the urge to meet all my fellow Singaporean readers, and I am planning on doing some character illustrations for the characters that are going to appear here ( especially Murasakibara ). This chapter is rather choppy when it comes to flow, and there's a lot of skipping here and there, so I apologise! **

**- slapped -**

**Murasakibara: 23**

**Tatsumi, Kagami: 22**

**Please review!**

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.**

* * *

_**have fun regretting, because you'll come to love soon.**_

* * *

_**14th February**_

_**6.48am, 14th February**_

_**From: Kise Ryouta**_

_**Happy Valentine's Day! And, um, please forgive me. I really am sorry for getting involved with such matters! I am, really! Please, Kuroko-cchi! Don't tell this to anyone! I even did a haiku for atonement!**_

_**" I love Tetsuko,**_

_**I really love Tetsuko, **_

_**Tetsuko's always cute! "**_

Tetsuko promptly deleted the text she had received the moment she had checked her phone for messages after she woke up at 7am.

She was extremely disappointed at the model for composing such a mushy, actually, screw describing the _haiku_ that way, it'll be out of point. Tetsuko was upset at Kise for two things. One, he worked as a host for dirty and unforgivable auctions. Two, he did horrible and hideous _haiku _despite having taught him for about 2 months. Tetsuko took pride in being a strict and noteworthy poetess, but seeing how her efforts had gone down the drain for the hopeless Kise Ryouta made her feel mortified. She mentally notes to tell him that he is dismissed the next time he steps on her grounds. _A haiku is supposed to go 5-7-5, not 5-7-6!_

But, still, she still had many problems on hand. Kise's was just a small, mere one that could be flicked away; there was really no need for running away or avoiding Kise's problems when he could be easily handled with. She took hold of the opportunity to take a fleeting look at the man who was lying on the tatami mats of her study room and had his right elbow propped comfortably on a pillow he grabbed from the sofa, his right hand touching his cheek while the left holding onto a book he helped himself to from Tetsuko's bookshelves.

That was the crucial situation she had to attend to and rectify. Kise does not need any attention for now. The redhead's eyes swiftly shifted from the book's text to the back of her head. Akashi did notice the peripheral glance she had given to him and smirked. He closed the book and set it on the floor.

" Yes, Tetsuko? " Akashi questioned.

Tetsuko was alarmed, she put the stray locks attacking her face over her ear and fumbles for a hairband inside her drawers. After having found one that had an unattractive colour, she gathers her thick tresses of hair and ties them not-so-securely to a loose ponytail and picks up her pencil again, writing some words she had just thought up for her new poem. " Snug as a bug in a rug, " she mumbled under her breath, not feeling extremely pleased with how he was being so informal and not showing even a hint of cooperation.

" Excuse me? "

" Nothing, " she replied quickly, effectively ending the conversation. Akashi raised an eyebrow and let loose a knowing smile. " So.., " Akashi breathed, having stood up and walked to her desk. He stopped behind the chair she was sitting on and wrapped his slender arms around her neck, letting his head rest on hers. Akashi could feel her body tense at the sudden physical contact, which the convict responded with a smug grin. His expression was quickly replaced with a displeased scowl, " to whom does this article of clothing belong to? " He fingered the fabric he was wearing in disgust. It was just an unfortunate miscalculation made by Akashi that Tetsuko lived all by herself after her parents had passed away from a regrettable train accident, thus her inability to provide him with better clothing in comparison to the rags he had to wear during the auction and the kimono he was currently dressed in.

" Hanamiya Makoto, you know, the one who drove us back to my house yesterday. Also, let go of me, please, Akashi-san, " Tetsuko replied, curt. Akashi reacted to her request by smelling her hair, which scent was maintained by the vanilla shampoo he found during his long bath.

Tetsuko probably found buying the man one of the foolish decisions she had ever made. Knowing him at least a bit better over some tea, she assumed that Akashi knew her and had put on that helpless, defenseless and forlorn front as a slight push to make Tetsuko feel sympathetic and purchase him in the end. _You won,_ Tetsuko had thought while nipping at her tea,_ you won at this game, Akashi-san._

She pulled the drawer open and looked for her wallet while Akashi's heterochromatic eyes followed her every action. " Akashi-kun, Tetsuko, Akashi-kun, " he prompted, disappointed at the formal acknowledgement. " Well, _Akashi-kun_, I'll be heading off to the supermarket to buy groceries, do you have anything you wish to eat? " She turned uncomfortably and stared at his orbs expectantly.

" Tofu soup. "

" Right, " she answered and was allowed to move freely after Akashi had his arms away from her, she stood up and nodded as a form of saying goodbye, walking towards the door of her study room. Tetsuko was pretty convinced that once she steps out of her room, she'll be extremely relieved. After the events yesterday that occured between Akashi Seijuuro and herself, she became uncoordinated and maladroit. Tetsuko found it appalling to change so drastically just because of a single man she had picked up from a sinful event.

She stopped abruptly on her way when Akashi drawled, " why waste money when you can steal? "

" What? " She replied, shocked. An unsettling feeling began to rise within her and she trembled, a bead of cold sweat trickling on the nape of her neck. Akashi repeated his sentence. Tetsuko repeated her answer. Akashi escorted her to the main entrance, when Tetsuko was about to say goodbye, Akashi smiled widely, a cruel and mischievous grin that nobody would like to see when they were in the hands of their captor.

" You see, Tetsuko, who you just bought from an auction is a _wanted criminal_. Surely, you've heard of the well-known Akashi Seijuuro, or do you not? "

* * *

" Turn left, turn left, " a purplehead donning a traffic vest droned, gesturing to the left while holding onto a sign that had " GO " on one side and " STOP " on the other. He stood in the middle of a road, directing vehicles to shift to the left of the road due to yet another accident of a drunkard recklessly driving.

Not that he found surprising though, accidents like this happened often in the red light districts. Though he would prefer locking himself in his bedroom, eat his favourite snacks and let himself rot, the job had a good pay. The fact that he won't be alone made it better, too. Sometimes, his fellow colleague, Himuro Tatsumi or his friend he had made after a certain encounter, the famous Kise Ryouta would talk about her day or rant about his troubles respectively.

It was currently 8am, which meant that a traffic jam would occur sooner or later due to businessmen and businessmen rushing to their offices. He had been directing traffic ever since 5am, and it was a coincidence that Himuro had arrived at 6am and left at 7.30am to go for her odd job as a waitress. After having ensured that all the drivers had the brains to drive carefully, he thought of the conversation he had with Himuro.

_" Good morning, Atsushi, " Himuro Tatsumi smiled, elegant. She handed Murasakibara his traffic vest, which was custom-made for his size. Murasakibara was surprised to see the female going to work at such an early timing, but such a thought was unthinkable as it was not apparent in his expression. " 'Morning, Muro-chin, " Murasakibara greeted, opening up a bag of chips while shoving the vest back. Himuro frowned, " Atsushi, eating junk food in the morning is unhealthy. " She sighed and helped the man who was standing at 208 centimetres tall to put the vest on. _

_" For this road, the drivers aren't supposed to use it because of a massive oil spill which happened at around 4am, thus we'll have to put up some road blocks and patrol here. If one of the drivers ask why they're ordered to take the other route, tell them that we need to repair some holes on the road, okay? " Himuro informed him. Murasakibara nodded at her request and she was satisfied. The duo began to work peacefully when Himuro spoke up._

_" Yesterday, I got scouted by a really popular modeling agency, they asked if I would like to be a model, " she shared, a finger on her lips and her head bent to let her eye perceive the vast, endless yet dull morning sky, where hints of light rays were being prominent minute by minute. Murasakibara wasn't the least bit taken aback by her statement; Himuro Tatsumi was probably one of the most beautiful women he had ever met, if he ever bothered scrutinising closely. She had sleek hair that was of the colour of midnight, jet black hair may be plain, of course, but it was an important key factor to accentuate her lime-coloured eye on her right, her left eye kept hidden for only her to see and for the world to muse about its existence. _

_She would have her hair tied into a low ponytail and let it hang on her left chest, the locks of hair tickling her face left alone. Himuro always wore dainty or loose clothing and had told Murasakibara she would never want or have anything skin-tight or skimpy in her wardrobe. Murasakibara noticed a silver ring attached with a cheap-looking necklace chain hanging on her neck, which Himuro commented to be something she cherished, filled with memories she shared with her stepbrother, Kagami Taiga, who went abroad to study. So far, Murasakibara found that she looked extremely dazzling in simple clothing, for example, a white t-shirt with long sleeves and a purple skirt that stopped at her knees._

_" Well, didn't Kise-chin ask you repeatedly for you to join? " Murasakibara replied. _

_" You know Kise-kun, he'll compliment any girl. It's a way to keep up your reputation as a model, so to get even a modeling agency interested is extremely, how do you describe this.., " she trailed off. _

_" Flattering? "_

_" Yes, flattering. " She agreed after yet another driver passed by to inquire about the road blocks. " Then, why not accept the offer? I'm sure they'll be happy to have you, " Murasakibara questioned, working his tongue on the cola-flavoured candy he had popped inside his mouth. Himuro seemed surprised, her head sharply turning towards his direction. Murasakibara did not feel the need to turn his head and look at the woman, thus his right eye turned to look at her direction. He could see her mouth slightly open, and then immediately change into a lovely smile. _

_But this smile was different, it was not one of those smiles a pokerface would pull off effortlessly. It was extremely __**natural**__, a bona fide moment where her corners of her mouth twisted upwards. _

_" To end up with a job that can cost me my time, friends and family, I would rather suffer taking up 3 odd jobs everyday. That way, I won't end up putting distance between Taiga and I, and also, I wouldn't have to leave you, Atsushi. "_

_Murasakibara was, truth be told, moved. The merciless giant's heart was actually being filled with warmth by a single woman. _

_That said, he was reminded of how much he had begun to develop an affection for her ever since early January. Murasakibara wordlessly rummaged inside his worn-out, fluorescent pink ( Himuro assumed that Murasakibara brought it everywhere to harm everyone's eyes ) bag that had umaibo wrappers as his " keychains ", which had a hole each due to having used a holepuncher, and he strung it using a raffia string and attached it to his bag. He produced a box of chocolate and handed it to the female. _

_" Honmei, " he had simply told Himuro, and it was all it took to get Himuro to blink a few times while holding onto it, then cover her face with the box as a scarlet tint was about to invade her emotions. " I-I'm pretty sure males are supposed to give at March 14, " she mumbled, stammering. Himuro turned, her back towards Murasakibara. _

_" You'll go out with me, right? " Murasakibara ignored the minor detail she had given; what was more important was that he wanted to confess his feelings, and it need not follow traditions or rules. _

_Her answer was rather disappointing, and sadly, Murasakibara Atsushi wasn't a very patient man. _

" Hey, heeeey, Murasakibara-cchi! "

Murasakibara snapped out of his daydream and his eyes flickered to the exasperated blond tapping his shoulder. " Murasakibara-cchi, you've been chanting ' three days ' since a minute ago, is there an event or something going on? "

" Mm, confessed to Muro-chin, she told me she needed three days, " Murasakibara drawled, wiping a tear from his eye after a loud yawn. Kise's eyes brightened at the news and began prying into his matters, not aware that Murasakibara was plotting his bloody demise. Murasakibara exhaled and pushed the blond away, repeating to the drivers, except with a spice, " turn left, dickheads, fucking turn left. "

" But, Murasakibara-cchi, some of the drivers may be gir- "

" Shut up. "

* * *

" Aw, come on, please, Tetsuko-chan! Surely, you could help me out in baking some chocolates? You don't have any classes for today, right? It's a Saturday, after all! " A certain Midorima Kazumi begged Tetsuko, who was in the middle of grocery shopping. Tetsuko's eyebrow twitched at Kazumi's explanation, which was in the form of listing off the things she had to do for her everyday schedule.

Tetsuko was in the dairy section to fetch some milk, eggs and flour. As it was Valentine's Day, she planned to make her friends some sweets ( no matter how she wasn't able to cook well ) as a form of appreciation. _22 and you're still single, Kuroko Tetsuko,_ she thought pathetically, carefully placing the egg carton into her cart, making sure there was not a single crack on each egg. It was only when she was about to go to the vegetable section Kazumi found her and went down on her knees, pleading with her in desperation and tugging her favourite polka-dot skirt.

Tetsuko closed her eyes and covered her ears with her hands, " See no evil, hear no evil. "

" Tetsuko-chaan! " Kazumi became hysterical, grabbing fistfuls of her raven hair and yanked it. Tetsuko opened her eyes and let go of her ears in alarm, trying to get the woman up and release her precious hair. " Okay, okay, I'll let you come to my house and make chocolates for Midorima-kun. Calm down, breathe in, breathe out. It's alright. Midorima-kun comes home late, doesn't he? We still have plenty of time to teach you, though I'm not very good at it, " Tetsuko replied, giving up in defeat. Though her visage remained halcyon and unruffled, she was annoyed and with one more push her temper would get the better of her.

Now that she thought of it, maybe the advice she gave Kazumi should be directed to herself instead. Tetsuko felt kind of ashamed.

Kazumi, as a nurse and housewife, had a busy schedule. Tidying up the house every now and then has evolved from a simple errand to a huge chore as her husband was a clean freak. Cooking may become rather difficult when Midorima had whims or complaints. She wouldn't rant about her lover's fussy and picky attitude though, after all, when Midorima reflects and grasp the fact that he was wrong, he'll wake up immediately every morning, go to the kitchen when Kazumi was cooking ( eggs or bacon was always the first thing he smelled ) and hug her from behind, causing her to be startled and touched.

" Sorry, I love you, " he would mutter with his bad morning breath and untamed bed hair.

" Woah, Shin-chan, I didn't expect you to be able to walk around without your glasses, " Kazumi would say, trying to keep her emotions in control, which failed and caused her face to produce a small yet fond smile, letting out a giggle. Midorima lazily scowled and murmured.

" I did promise you that I'll make you smile or laugh every day of our married life, though it's not like I care or anythin- " And then Midorima dozed off, his head on top of hers, his weight was too much for her petite build to bear. Kazumi struggled to prevent themselves get burnt by the frying she was doing.

" Shin-chan, please, you need to stop interrupting my cooking! "

" My name is Takao Kazumi, how do you do? " She smiled nervously and shaked the redhead's hand upon stepping into Tetsuko's house. Akashi smiled half-heartedly and replied with a short greeting and a firm shake of her hand, " I'm doing fine, thank you. My name is Akashi Seijuuro, and I am Tetsuko's lov- "

" Student, " Tetsuko added hastily, as it was not her wish to attract more trouble and attention. Akashi frowned slightly at the adjustment, released his grip on Kazumi's hand and crossed his arms, giving off an intimidating aura. " So, what business do you have here? "

" Oh, well, I'm here to seek help for making chocolates from Tetsuko, it's Valentine's Day, after all! " She answered cheerfully, though her hands were trembling. Tetsuko sensed this and pushed Akashi back to the guest bedroom, though it was a wasted effort as he opened the door and calmly sauntered to Tetsuko's bedroom instead. Tetsuko sighed in annoyance and led her guest to the kitchen, where they began to start work.

Tetsuko handed the doctor's wife some cookbooks which were left untouched ever since purchase, Kazumi flipped through one of these while humming a tune. Tetsuko put on her baby blue apron, took the dark chocolate out of the plastic bags and began to chop them into cubes when she felt a hot breath tickling her left ear. She tensed in surprise. Tetsuko could see Kazumi observing, shocked at _his_ appearance.

" Good afternoon, Tetsuko, " he greeted in a whisper. The minty scent from the unknown man led Tetsuko to conclude that it was Hanamiya, yet again, who had come to invade her house. Hanamiya took one of the chocolate cubes and brought it into his mouth, popping it in and savouring the taste, which was all done while cornering Tetsuko. But, never mind that, Tetsuko felt something more dangerous, menacing and threatening- an air of calamity, if Tetsuko had to describe.

Hanamiya seemed to sense it too, considering how he spun around warily to see who had appeared. The trio in the kitchen gulped uneasily after their eyes laid on the newcomer, standing at the kitchen's entrance while tapping his feet with his arms crossed, his slanted eyes gazing intently on Hanamiya and Tetsuko. The crimson-haired convict was silent, but then he spoke up, his words so innocent yet armed with a vicious and venomous poison as its weapon or ammunition. _Oh no, _everyone had thought, knowing that a storm was about to happen. And only the male who had barged in the house would suffer the brunt of it.

" What are you doing in that kind of position, Hanamiya Makoto? "

* * *

" For good behaviour, you'll be let out of the prison tomorrow at 12pm sharp, " a police officer told the tanned prisoner, the moonlight reflecting on his nametag, which read, " Imayoshi Shouichi ". Imayoshi had his arm on a sling, which Aomine had assumed he got the injury from one of the most notorious gangs by the name of Kirisaki Dai Ichi, the leader being Hanamiya Makoto. Aomine remembered Imayoshi and the other police officer of whom he did not know the name of talking about how strong the leader was when they were ordered to subdue the group, which turned out to be unsuccessful.

" Mm, " Aomine replied and tossed his weight on the cold and uncomfortable bed. Imayoshi smirked at his behaviour. After having been locked for 3 months, he knew all too well when it came to Aomine's body language. Despite being too apathetic about the announcement, Imayoshi knew he'll jump out of joy any moment, finally free from the hellhole he had to live in.

Of course, Imayoshi also knew he was wrongly blamed, but who cares, anyway? It wasn't him who was getting a sentence for nothing. He drawn out his baton and let it slide against the cell's rails, producing a loud and clear sound while walking back to where he should be guarding.

Aomine let out a wide grin after he left. Tomorrow, his well-crafted plan will come to life.

Tomorrow, he'll search for the model and get his revenge.

And then, tomorrow, he'll find the girl that the blond kept gushing about during their conversations and steal her away from the wretched public figure of the entertainment industry.

He is Aomine Daiki, and he'll definitely succeed.


	5. Rationale 5

**Author's Note:**

**Thanks for the reviews, Lily Fenton Phantom, Devil Miharu, EclipseKuran, kh07gl and imKimTheWriter! I have exams coming up, so I decided to finish this chapter as quickly as I can and revise for my Science test. If you think the quality has dropped, please tell me in the reviews section! **

**My exams will end at 21 April, so I'll make it up by uploading a better and longer chapter. Life has been going well for me, being in my art club's committee, getting an award for topping the cohort's art subject and elected for the class chairman's position, the valedictorian's speech yesterday made me feel touched and motivated as well, okay, forget about my long rant, my bad. - sweatdrop -**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke.**

**Enjoy and please leave a review!**

* * *

_**You belong here.**_

* * *

_**15th February**_

" Mm, " Tetsuko groaned and rubbed her eyes, reluctant to face yet another day. Sunday was one she did not like much, for it promised her that she'll only be staying in her large and vacant house, squandering her time on trivial and mere chores such as cleaning, watering her garden and previously, taking care of an abandoned, stray dog she was fond of, who was called Nigou, as stated on his collar. Tetsuko could tell that Nigou was a lucky one, to have such a rich mistress as his owner; Tetsuko had assumed the financial status from the finely groomed puppy and branded collar.

Truth be told, she need not clean her house often. There was not even a tiny speck of dust to be found as she did not make much of a mess.

Tetsuko's stomach growled and she cursed silently. She hated how she felt like vomiting every morning due to the fasting every human had to go through during their slumber. _Time for breakfast_, she sighed and attempted to rise from her comfy bed. It was strange how difficult and troublesome she had to get off her bed today, she noted. Her head curiously turns, her eyes blink, and then her monotone face turned and shaped itself to that of an expression widely known to be the universal symbol of anger and frustration.

She sees a thick tuft of crimson hair, which belonged to the man worth 30 million she had bought in a recent human trafficking auction. Akashi Seijuuro, a man exuding a scary and domineering presence, could have been a wealthy and successful businessman. Tetsuko admitted having researched the Akashi family once in the net after hearing about his surname, and it turned out that he was the heir of the prominent Akashi Conglomerate. It was a pity that his father's efforts in grooming the heir had gone to waste after it was announced in a famous article that got the writer riches..

...That the heir, Akashi Seijuuro, had " lost his mind " and will go to jail.

Again and again, he committed crimes too many to be able to count and cynics scoff and say that the jail was his residence. Akashi Seijuuro, once the heir of the Akashi Conglomerate, now the wanted and notorious criminal of Cell 4, next..., what would he become next? Tetsuko pondered.

She shut her eyes to try get rid of her thoughts. Right now, she had to try to get off her bed without waking the Emperor. Akashi was behind her, his arms wrapping around her torso and his left leg pressing onto her knees, causing her to gasp softly in pain as her legs steadily sandwiched onto the mattress. Was she a bolster? She thought annoyedly, and decided to roughly get his prying limbs off her body. Extremely rude he was, to treat her like an object. She stood in front of the sleeping man while smoothening her white shirt that was too large for her, and adjusting her ultramarine sweatpants properly. Never mind her atrocious bedhair, she'll find a way to get it tamed later.

" Your bedhair is adorable, " she hears a purr, and she yelps in surprise when Akashi firmly grips on her wrist, pulling the poetess back to the space she had occupied on her bed and swiftly changed into a position where he could be on top of her body. His face was uncomfortably close to hers for her liking, and what was more scary was that his heterochromatic eyes were staring intently at her, a hint of exhaustion nowhere in sight. He was wearing a grey singlet and black boxers, it would be dangerous if he moved too abruptly, the waistband low and she would have screamed if she saw his manhood.

Tetsuko felt the blood coming up to her face.

Tetsuko sees the cut on his finger, which she knew immediately was dealt by Hanamiya as a means of defending himself from the redhead. She flinched as the man closed the distance between them and kissed the side of her neck, sucking and nipping on it mercilessly. Ashamed, she let out a soft moan. Akashi stopped his ministrations and examined her neck, satisfied that it was visible. He felt the need to show people what belonged to him was his after his unfortunate fiasco yesterday night, having been subdued by Tetsuko after she sensed that he had a murder intent.

Akashi got off Tetsuko and sat on the bed, his back in front of the lying Tetsuko. She cautiously observed him, and when she realised it was alright to move, she touched her neck gingerly and got off the bed, heading downstairs to fetch the newspapers and make breakfast. " Tetsuko. "

Tetsuko stopped in her tracks, frozen. She turned her head expectantly, wondering what he would say. He looked strangely serious. No, not the usual serious, but more of a different one.

She was intrigued at how he could make emotions seem so complex. It was like he was a poem himself.

" Do you love me, Tetsuko? " He crossed his arms, expecting a good answer while gazing at the long tresses of blue hair she had, mentally noting that he'll do the hair taming for her later.

" No, Akashi-kun, " she answered without a slight hesitation. Akashi smirked at her straightforwardness and crude attitude. He ran his fingers through his hair. " Akashi-kun, I like poems. "

" Yes, that I know. What of it? " Akashi asked, curious at her sudden declaration.

" I like poems, " she repeated, " poems I can decipher, to be specific. "

" Go on. "

" But, Akashi-kun, you're like a poem to me. And that is precisely why I don't love, or even like you. " Her eyes were filled with determination, and even the Akashi Seijuuro was feeling his skin tingle at her vague afterthoughts. Akashi, for the first time, was confused. He decided to clarify.

" I don't get your point, Tetsuko, " Akashi countered matter-of-factly.

" You can't be deciphered, Akashi-kun. That is why I don't like you, " Tetsuko ended the conversation with a small nod and continued making her way to the kitchen, deciding to make breakfast for herself instead.

Akashi Seijuuro seemed to have gone back to his own room and stayed in there for the whole morning.


	6. Rationale 6

**Author's Note:**

**All of you are so adorable, urgh. I'm back with chapter 6 of Fool's Rationale, and I hope it won't be too choppy since I started doing the beginning at a friend's house and it's real easy for me to lose my sense of flow. ;u;**

**So there was some heavy AkaFemKuro action, and I hope you liked it! Romance ain't a thing I'm familiar with, so I hope with my inexperienced writing you felt some warmth or fluffiness for the previous chapter. **

**Also, this is really extremely focused on the pairings, so I apologise. Tons, and tons of action will come at chapter 7! Hopefully, I guess. - sweatdrop -**

**Please enjoy and leave a review!**

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke doesn't belong to me!**

* * *

_**unconditional love**_

* * *

_**15**__**th**__** February**_

" Shin-chan, " Takao, no, _Midorima _Kazumi called for the lettucehead, just loud enough for him to trudge down to have breakfast, but just quiet enough so that the neighbours would be able to catch some more winks of sleep. Kazumi heard from the sole breadwinner that there was an important patient he had to attend to. Well, she did not exactly hear, but looking at the dishevelled hair and those heavy eyebags with a grumpy expression to go along with it meant business. Midorima wasn't exactly someone who would talk about his problems, after all.

Which was really why she decides to cook up a heavy breakfast, packed with carbohydrates and some protein to get him filled with energy. She did not forget about the vegetables and fruits, too.

Some thumping of footsteps down the stairs, she hears him entering the kitchen and tousle her hair, ruining it. She pouted and tip-toed to plant a kiss on his cheek and it was the cue for a certain embarrassed Midorima Shintaro to settle down on his seat and consume the breakfast prepared for him. She released a soft chuckle when she notices his documents were not put in his suitcase properly and opens it up to shove it deeper. Kazumi saw a lovely, beautiful woman with short and brown locks.

" She's Aida Riko, the wealthy 2nd founder of the Seirin Conglomerate. Apparently she was found stabbed by what the 1st founder, Kiyoshi Teppei, to be one of her servants by the name of Hyuuga Junpei. Heard she dabbled in criminal things too many. We have to do surgery as soon as possible after all details have been checked. If she survives, " Kazumi stiffened at the word, " she'll have to go to jail, or if she's foolish enough, to escape. "

Kazumi pops a piece of sausage into her mouth, slowly registering both the information and taste in her mind and taste buds respectively. Midorima does the same.

" Where will you be heading today? " He asked.

" Mm, " she thought for a while and answered, " maybe to Tetsuko-chan's place and invite her for tea. Oh, but if that guy isn't present, of course. "

" Guy? " Midorima was curious.

" Oh yeah, I never told you about him, didn't I? Akashi Seijuuro-san is the man currently living in Tetsuko-chan's house. I met him yesterday when I was baking chocolates with Tetsuko-chan, and he seemed really scary, " Kazumi explained to her companion, wildly waving her hands around to make it more exaggerated. Midorima returned to his meal shortly and finishes the last of the eggs, holding up his cup of coffee ( he would have preferred red bean soup ). If he did not hurry, he'll be late. And he knows what would ensue if he wasn't punctual.

Midorima, finding that the coffee had already run cold, he began to take large swallows of the caffeine. Maybe he'll have to tell Kazumi to prepare red bean soup instead.

" Hey, Shin-chan, when will we have kids? "

Midorima Shintaro spat out his coffee. Kazumi calmly looks on as he wiped the mess on the table, seemingly thankful that it did not stain his crisp, white shirt. He throws the tissue paper into the dustbin meters away effortlessly and takes a glance at his wife before turning to the left, a red tinge on his cheeks.

" W-why are you discussing something like that?! I'll leave now, " the red Midorima takes his suitcase and lucky item, adjusts his tie and heads to the entrance, with a bubbly Midorima Kazumi behind him, patting her stomach to get on her husband's nerves. _Aah, how dishonest._

Midorima, however, turned around to face Kazumi, looking solemn. He hugs the small figure and softly spoke, " I-it's not like I bother, but thank you for the chocolates yesterday. And.., "

He leaned near Kazumi's ear.

" ..we'll have one someday, okay? "

Kazumi brightened up and nods enthusiastically. Midorima was too soft-hearted despite having a tough exterior, and this caused Kazumi to get anything she wanted. She felt like a child, being so _spoilt_.

* * *

" Tetsuko, you're very pertinacious, aren't you? "

Tetsuko was irked almost immediately. She was busy composing yet another poem, and it appeared that at a Sunday that could have bored her stiff, someone by the name of Akashi Seijuuro who was worth 30 million courtesy of naive Tetsuko had to intrude in her daily life. He wasn't much of good company, actually, the poetess felt that all he could ever do to her everything was to destroy it into nothingness.

She certainly did not like people criticising her stubbornness. " Weren't you going to stay in your bedroom? "

The crimson-haired male's lips part, and they meet again to form a smile befitting of the enigma. The emperor-like man sat in the traditional _seiza_ position in front of Tetsuko and the low table she was using while she crafted her poems. Tetsuko's head slightly tilted to meet the slanted and heterochromatic eyes of the freeloader, an orb painted with the same mesmerising colour of his locks and the other painted with an icy yellow, which was extremely ironic, if she had to admit. He wore the ultramarine _kimono _Tetsuko had fortunately found hiding in one of the boxes where some of her father's old clothing were kept, and almost resembled a yakuza lord.

While in Akashi's point of view, his eyes had to turn downwards to stare at his beloved with equal, if not, more force and power. He could sense the stress building up in her, but instead of stopping, he smirked widely, trying to win her over. Her untidy, powder blue tresses framed her face and Akashi assumed that she was unconsciously pouting. Her face was inching closer and closer to have him submit, but if he did give up, the Akashi Seijuuro in Tetsuko's house may as well be a fake.

" Since you expressed your dislike of me, I have decided to tell you more about myself, " he answered smoothly, grabbing her wrist while still maintaining eye contact. Tetsuko concealed her surprise with a raise of her eyebrow, signifying her puzzledness. " All you need to know about me is that I will be your lover from now on, and you cannot refuse when I make my introduction to your acquaintances. "

" Wha-, " she began, angered and struggled to let go of his grip. Akashi gave his consent, but quickly held onto her wrist again once he stood up, compelling her to go along to his unknown destination as his companion. " Where are we going? " She asked irritatedly, gradually feeling perturbed once the two of them stepped outside of her abode. Like a gentleman, he helped Tetsuko with her _geta_ flip-flops and then quickly slipping on to his.

As they stepped out of the gates, he smiled again. This time, it had a scary and almost, creepy hint on it.

And Tetsuko certainly did not like it.

" We're going to have a date in the red-light district. It will be such a _fun _date that it can become criminal. "

* * *

" Good evening, Atsushi. "

Murasakibara spun around to see Himuro Tatsumi clutching on the strap of her purple sling bag, running towards him in delicate steps. Murasakibara throws her her traffic vest, which Himuro received with grace. Their task tonight was to direct the posh guests of a certain high-scale event where they could park their vehicles, and thankfully, he was kind of glad Kise was not in the vicinity. " So, Muro-chin, have you made up your mind? "

Himuro laughs, though strained, " I already asked for three days, didn't I? " She put on the vest slowly, careful not to stretch the material. Murasakibara frowned at her refusal to reply and released a sigh loud enough for her to hear, chomping impatiently on a chocolate bar.

" Atsushi, if it's okay, will you accept me? " Himuro mumbled, playing with her fingers in embarassment. Murasakibara's half-eaten chocolate dropped on the floor, his eyes widening in shock. The purple-haired man picked it up and sent a bored yet excited glance to Himuro, " Didn't I ask you already? "

" Huh, what do you mean? " Himuro questioned as the titan engulfed her petite figure in his arms, people of high standing began to whisper amongst themselves, curious at the development of events.

" _Tatsumi_, don't play dumb, " he drawled.

* * *

Aomine stopped in front of his childhood friend's house. He lifted the doormat up to retrieve the key to the door and inserted the key, successfully opening and giving him permission to enter.

_" Dai-chan, I'll leave your key under the doormat, so that you can let yourself in anytime you want. "_

" Satsuki. "

Just a few seconds later, a peach-haired girl came into view. Her eyes told a story of worry and uncertainty, but it all quickly faded as if nothing negative was there at all once they laid on Aomine. Momoi Satsuki hurriedly trotted towards Aomine, her knockers bouncing along with her hair and Aomine could have sworn a thought consisting of, _" those are way better than Horikita Mai's " _ran through his head like a bullet. Momoi caught him in a passionate embrace and her said knockers were squeezed up against his abdomen.

" Dai-chan, I missed you, " she breathed, her tone visibly telling him that she was weary and exhausted. Ever since Momoi heard that he was going to be sent to jail, her tear-streaked face made him flinch and promise her that he would be back as soon as he could. " I'll prepare some tea for you, so you can go to my bedroom, okay? " He nodded in agreement, and trudged up the stairs to her room, opening the door to reveal a typical girl's bedroom interior, except that the only quirk was the basketball lying at one corner.

She entered the room, holdingly firmly onto a tray stacked with a teapot, two teacups and some snacks she got from the convenience store. Momoi rants quietly on how she had not enough ingredients to cook something up, but Aomine mentally thanked his lucky stars.

" Are you okay? Did they feed you enough? Dai-chan, did you make any friends? I threw away every magazine I bought related to that stupid model! " She fired questions to her childhood friend, but he remained silent, as he had his own questions he needed to ask and answer himself.

_Is it alright to use Satsuki? _A thought rang in his mind. A very disgusting, revolting and repulsive thought. Strangely, whatever Aomine asked, Momoi would carry out. He could have requested for, maybe, expensive basketball shoes, and he would witness Momoi taking up one or two waitress jobs to purchase it, even though she was involved being a well-known basketball team's manager and a florist.

Should he ask for Momoi's assistance? Would Momoi cry if things turn out for the worst?

But surely, she would object to his selfish request, and force him to stop, right?

Aomine, the indignant " criminal ", decided.

The atmosphere turned tense and Momoi trembled, " hey, Dai-chan, w-what's wrong..? "

" Satsuki. "

" Y-yes! " She straightened her back at his call, nearing towards him to tell him she was listening. " Can you do me a favour? " He asked quietly, gazing at the peach-haired woman. Her eyes softened and she replied almost immediately, " I'll do anything for you, Dai-chan. "

" Then, won't you help me kidnap someone? Be my accomplice, in short? " He sputtered. Momoi's eyes widened at his words and froze. Aomine expected her to scream at him, lecturing and probably reading off every law enforced in Japan. But no.

What Aomine was not aware of was that Momoi would always love him unconditionally, and that whatever he wants, he gets. The corners of her lips turn upwards and her head slightly tilts to the left. " Dai-chan, if that is what you wish for, I will do it. "

".. Tell me the name, sit back and relax, I'll do anything for you, because I love you, from the bottom of my heart. "


End file.
